Posts Tagged ‘letting go’

A despacho ceremony is an ancient indigenous ritual of the Andean people of Peru. Despacho literally means to ship or dispatch something. Creating a despacho is an intentional, focused sacred ceremony in which an amulet-like bundle is filled with natural, biodegradable ingredients. These ingredients hold symbolic elements that represent the prayerful intentions of the despacho-maker.…

Last month’s explorations took us into the complicated realm of Balance. We throw that word out a lot these days: “I need more balance in my life.” “Strive to maintain a balanced life.” Ruminating over the meaning of balance, our class came up with word associations like equilibrium, stable, controlled, static, rigidity, precise — none of which made us feel very…

We Need More than Medicine to Heal Journey Through Cancer with Healing Icons I recommend Healing Icons to other cancer survivors as it has helped me reflect on my cancer journey… Having examined my feelings and fears, my hopes and dreams, I now stand strong in who I have become. – IS, 2012 In each…

Our latest class gathered at Lexington Medical Center to explore the idea of art making as a form of healing. A few had been outside of cancer treatment for many years but still possessed a nagging fear of a recurrence. Others had just finished treatment. One was heading to Duke University on Friday for exploratory…

Travel: to move forward towards a given direction or path; to journey through or over a given distance; to follow a course or path, going from one place to another; to cross over boundaries and borders Travel Beyond Your Comfort Zone The idea of movement from a known, comfortable place to an unknown, mysterious place…

“We need to travel. If we don’t offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes don’t lift to the horizon; our ears don’t hear the sounds around us. The edge is off our experience and we pass our days in a…

Traditions Become Stale This Christmas Eve, Santa has arrived in the Houston airport, buzzing around on a golf cart appropriately adorned for the festive day. We—my husband, our daughter and son, and I—are there, bags packed and ready to fly. We’ve completed the rounds of extended-family Christmas dinners and gift exchanges and are embarking on a journey…

Couldn’t get down to the Five Points Fountain this Halloween weekend? Well, after going to the voting polls today, why not visit our Autumn Remembrance display? Pause for a few minutes to remember those loved and lost. Celebrate Day of the Dead with Healing Icons At its essence, Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday centered…

Imagine the look on my family’s face last year when I suggested we start a new family tradition – an annual feast to honor the dead. Now, our children are 20-somethings. Our son is married to a beautiful (inside and out), bright-spirited young woman; our daughter is in graduate school and has a terrifically accepting boyfriend. My…